How to fake old trim

This easy DIY method shows how to match and fake old trim. This can be used to add character to a new home, or to match existing old trim in an older home.

When we made over our bathroom upstairs, we moved a doorway to expand our bathroom’s footprint (we took out a closet so we could add another vanity). So far, we’ve done SO many of our renovations by keeping the existing floor plan, so we haven’t had to worry about replicating our beautiful old trim.

When we had to replace the trim around our bathroom door and in the hallway, I wasn’t quite sure how to “match” our old existing trim.

So, in typical Christina fashion…I procrastinated and didn’t touch it for over 6 months. Ahh – yes. This is embarrassing, but it’s real life!

Yikes! I am SO happy to tell you it doesn’t look like that anymore! Here’s what it looks like today:

I still can’t believe how well it turned out! It was SO simple, inexpensive, and I’m kicking myself for not doing this sooner!

How to fake old trim:

Here’s the fun part about this method: it’s a great way to match existing old trim, but it’s also a way to add character to your builder-grade home.

We got all of our trim from Lowe’s, and the pieces were not expensive!

Here’s what our trim looked like around our door before we painted/caulked:

In hindsight – we probably would have picked corner pieces that were one size bigger. These work, and they’re fine, but the size is a little close to the molding around the sides of the door and it would look really beautiful if it was a little larger.

But the real trick was the molding at the bottom of the wall. If you look above, you can see that we do not have any wood between the two thinner trim pieces. We measured so it was the same height as our existing old trim, and placed the top piece at the same height.

Once you get your trim pieces nailed in, you’ll want to make it all look like one piece. This will start with paint!